10 ways to have a more active beach break

With the launch of the bold and beautiful new Beach Sport range launching today, Sweaty Betty is here to show you how many ways there are to enjoy a healthier holiday wearing the most fashion-forward, highly-technical beach clothes and sports swimwear.

“We always follow the waves or the wind,” says Sweaty Betty founder Tamara about her family’s own seaside adventures. “As such, our definition of a beach holiday is somewhat different to the ideal many imagine.”

But getting active will multiply all those feel-good hormones racing through you as the vitamin D hits your skin and everyday stresses sail further out to sea.

Here are just a few of Sweaty Betty’s favourite ways to get off the sun lounger…

1. Set out on an early morning run, when fellow joggers will be out to catch the cool dawn sun.

2. Grab a paddleboard and challenge your friends with a race to the horizon.

3. Draw a grid in the sand for beach bootcamp exercises like squats, planks and sit-ups; try counting your reps to add an element of competition.

4. Check the tidal forecast and grab your board for mid-tide, when the waves are most amicable to surfers.

5. Let loose and combine beach time with classic lawn games – think wheelbarrow races, tug of war and sack hops.

6. A game of beach volleyball never goes amiss, with the sand proving a forgiving surface for your most daring dives and drills.

7. Practice your tuck n’ tumble. The beach is a great place to try your hand at a spot of gymnastics – from yoga handstands to human pyramids.

8. Speaking of yoga, many resorts and hotels offer yoga classes on or overlooking the beach. Book yourself in for a more revitalising savasana.

9. Choose your favourite form of sailing and get ready to control the wind. Windsurfing demands exceptional core strength, while catamarans and yachts will test your agility on the deck.

10. Make one with the fish in the sea and keep a snorkel and fins at hand for swim training with a view.

Sweaty Betty's ecommerce content assistant Zoe and her friends get playful on Whitehaven Beach in Australia

What one thing do these activities have in common?

As well as helping you do more exercise on holiday, they encourage you to make your beach activity more social. This is important, because ample research shows that people who exercise with others enjoy greater benefits of stress-reduction – and isn’t this, after all, the whole purpose of a holiday?